Kerala moves to Mumbai

I just got back from an amazing concert. An army of bare-chested, lunghi-clad musicians from Kerala, with their drums, cymbals and circular trumpets, enthralled its audience into a trance. One observer, a slightly built, greying man was in the throes of ecstasy as the music reached one of its many climaxes. He gestured commandingly at the audience, encouraging them to move their bodies to the music, while occasionally throwing his white handkerchief into the air and then deftly catching it. The people around him didn't mind too much, and just smiled at him. I was quite surprised by the audience's tolerance; I expected someone to nudge at him or make a rude comment.

It's been a while since I've had a "perfect" experience. This was definitely one such rare occasion. The music was devoid of melody, and comprised the pounding of various instruments at unimaginable speeds and intensities, resulting in a mind-bogling cacophony of noise. The rhythms were new to my ears, and the feeling of listening to something completely alien, was exhilarating. The music often seemed martial, like an introduction to war, especially when the cymbal players went berserk. It was a very physical form of music, loud and dominating and therefore reminded me of hard psychedelic trance.

Bored at Jehangir Art Gallery

I drop by Jehangir Art Gallery often, and more often than not, come out with a feeling of smug superiority, thinking I could have done much better. But there's always a surprise lurking somewhere in the gallery. It may just be one painting in an ocean of art that gets you thinking. Pritish Nandy's exhibit called Bored, was an exception, in that all his works got me thinking. I wouldn't call it good art, but it was different and attracted my attention.

You get a strong sense of Nandy's advertising and commercial background; selling an idea is in his blood, even if it's poetry. His works are very self-conscious and well thought-through. There seem to be no accidents. The craftsmanship on each canvas was very good and the text was very clear (it may have been screen-printed for precision). But when commercial media and poetry meet, the product just doesn't have the authenticity of an artwork created by a "true" artist or a poet. I know there's nothing such as a "true" artist, but what I mean is someone who is naturally creative and not self-consciously so.

Each of his short poems seemed like copy for advertisements. Most of them were perceptive, and did strike an emotional chord in you, but at the same time, predictable.

Kerala: Christian Imagery and Churches

The history of Chrisitanity in Kerala goes back to the visit of St. Thomas in 52 AD. However much of the current imagery is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance paintings and sculptures and seem to be derived from Italian Catholicism. There are a number of direct references to Raphael's Transfiguration of Christ, and Michelangelo's Pieta. Orthodox Syrian Christian imagery is also a relatively common sight.





I just read on the web (http://www.ananthapuri.com/kerala-history.asp?page=christian) that Christianity in Kerala has been influenced by Syrian, Portuguese, Dutch, English (protestant) and American brands of the religion over the past 2000 years. The history of Christianity in Kerala therefore mirrors to some extent the development of the religion internationally, and the rise and fall of European Christian powers and their adopted ideology. To complicate this further, the local Christians have also had their share of rifts and break-aways resulting in a mind-boggling variety of Christian sects. This may explain the drastically different styles used in Church designs. Some use Gothic elements, others are a product of wildly modern sensibility. You also have classic Italian/Portuguese designs for churches built during the 1600-1700s.

Kerala: Christian Wayside Shrines

I was fascinated by the Christian way-side shrines scattered along the roads in Kerala on my last trip there about 4 years ago. This time I took a number of photos to see how each was different. Some of them strangely resemble Islamic minarets, and are also reminiscent of Hindu road-side temples - quite a concoction. They are usually three to four-story brick and concrete structures exhibit amongst others, statues of Jesus, St. Francis, St. Sebastian, St. George, The Virgin Mary and Joseph protected by a glass casing or grills. Some designs are amazingly modern such as this Pieta, some have Gothic references. I wonder what the origin of these structures is. Or is this a purely an Indian invention? An interesting inversion is that some Hindu gods are now displayed in a similar fashion, albeit on a smaller scale.

I also find an interesting parallel between fast-food and these wayside shrines (both Hindu and Christian for that matter.) Just as you drive by a McDonalds for a burger or fries to fill you stomach, during one's hectic day you can easily get a little bit of prayer in on the way home or to work, to satiate your soul.

Mirza Ghalib and the Sack of Delhi

William Dalrymple, in his book, The Last Mughal, (one of my favourite books of all time), writes that when the British pillaged Delhi after they conquered it from Bahadur Shah Zafar's motley crew of militia in 1857, they spared Ghalib's mohalla called Ballimaran. The locality was protected by the Maharaja of Patiala's soldiers. The Maharaja had supported the British during the revolt by sending them troops and supplies. I'm itching to finding out if buildings from this area still exist. If so they will be amongst the few pre-1857 residential buildings that have survived the destruction of Delhi. The British sack of Delhi, is the last in series of at least 4 sacks that razed the city to the ground. It's tragic but these complete annihilations of the city link it to other great cities such as Rome and Carthage.

Chandigarh

Chandigarh was a delight. This carefully planned, grid-based city, has a number of open gardens and playgrounds on every block. It was overcast and cold with an occasional drizzle when I was there; I felt like I was in Europe.

Many of the locals were well-built. I was mildly troubled when I urinated, as the urinals were fixed higher than they are in other parts of the country, indicating that the height of men here is above the Indian average. However, the poor migrants working on the streets were visibly poorer and had comparatively slender builds.

I visited the Rose Garden and Nek Chand’s Rock Garden. The grey skies made the rocks all the more grey. Without much sunlight to highlight the features of sculptures, the feel was cold and austere. And that’s exactly why it was so wonderful. It was so not Indian. The "garden" did not depend on bright colours, but on sharpness, size, and the repetition of coarsely shaped elements for its impact. It is a strange, surreal but natural landscape made of man-made objects and materials.

I felt sad to leave the city as we drove back to Delhi. It’s very clear where Chandigarh ends; suddenly the organization and green spaces are gone.

Times View - Is this something to worry about?

In today's Sunday Times, I noticed an insert in a front page article on the insane Aaja Naachle (starring Madhuri Dixit) censorship issue, titled Times View. It gives the newspaper's opinion on the issue. It's quite overt. I have very ambiguous feelings towards this and can't figure our if this is a good or bad thing for a newspaper to do. Do you have any views on this?